Five Seminole Stars Honored on Athlon's 2023 Preseason All-America Team
Hype and anticipation are building by the second in Tallahassee as the 2023 season inches closer and closer. With an experienced team returning and some of the top transfers in the country coming in, head coach Mike Norvell is primed to lead Florida State to success with the program back in the national picture.
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Athlon Sports released its 2023 Preseason All-America teams and five former Seminoles were honored with selections. Defensive end Jared Verse made the first team, cornerback Fentrell Cypress II appeared on the second team, wide receiver Johnny Wilson was selected to the third team, while both quarterback Jordan Travis and running back Trey Benson were listed on the fourth team.
The five selections were tied with Clemson for the most among ACC teams and also tied for No. 5 in the country. Some of the programs with more Athlon Preseason All-Americans than Florida State include Michigan (8), Ohio State (8), and Georgia (7).
Verse, Wilson, Benson, and Travis all suited up for Florida State in 2022 while Cypress II transferred into the program for Virginia over the offseason. All five players are expected to play significant roles this upcoming season.
After moving from FCS Albany to Tallahassee last year, Verse became an instant impact player on FSU's defense. He recorded 48 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, nine sacks, one blocked kick, and a fumble recovery. Verse was named First-Team All-ACC after averaging the most sacks and second-most tackles for loss per game in the conference.
Cypress II began his career at Virginia before arriving at Florida State for spring practice. It's expected that he'll step into a starting role for the Seminoles in 2023. Cypress totaled 39 tackles, 14 pass deflections, and one fumble recovery during his final season with the Cavaliers. The 14 pass deflections ranked first in the ACC.
Wilson joined the Seminoles out of the transfer portal after sparsely contributing during his two years at Arizona State. That changed immediately as he turned into FSU's most dangerous threat among the wide receiver group. Wilson led the team with 43 catches for 897 yards and five touchdowns. His career-best game of eight catches for 202 yards broke the Cheez-It Bowl and FSU bowl records.
A Heisman contender, Travis is coming off a breakout campaign where he completed 64% of his passes for 3,214 yards with 24 touchdown passes to five interceptions. He also rushed for seven scores on the ground. Travis was named the Cheez-It Bowl MVP after recording a program bowl-record 468 yards in the win against Oklahoma.
Another sparsely used transfer who found success with the Seminoles, Benson rebounded in 2022 from an injury he suffered at Oregon. He stepped into the starting role after Treshaun Ward went down and never looked back. Benson rushed 154 times for 990 yards and nine touchdowns. He was named second-team All-ACC and FSU's Offensive Newcomer of the Year.
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